EP-4737756-A1 - NOVEL BRAKE AND HUB MOTOR

EP4737756A1EP 4737756 A1EP4737756 A1EP 4737756A1EP-4737756-A1

Abstract

The present application provides a novel brake and a hub motor, which belong to the technical field of mechanical braking. The novel brake comprises a braking stator, an armature, a main coil, an elastic element, N friction discs, N movable plates and an assembly element; wherein the N movable plates and the N friction discs are arranged alternately, the Nth movable plate is disposed adjacent to the Nth friction disc, the Nth friction disc abuts against a limit step, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; the outer peripheral dimensions of the N friction discs are all larger than those of the N movable plates, and the outer peripheries of the N friction discs are each provided with a matching part, which is configured to be matched with a braking part. The N friction discs and the N movable plates are all sleeved on the outer circumference of the braking stator, which greatly reduces the overall thickness of the novel brake, instead of being fitted to the braking shaft via the central hole, the friction discs are matched with the braking part through the matching parts provided on the outer circumference, this enables the novel brake to be applied to a wider range of application scenarios, allows for more flexible design of the dimensions of the braking stator and the armature, and reduces the overall volume of the novel brake.

Inventors

LU, Cha
WU, Kongjian
ZHANG, Danqi
BERNARD, Atkesone

Assignees

Altra Industrial Motion (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20240808

Claims (20)

A novel brake, comprising: a braking stator, having a first end face and a second end face in an axial direction, wherein the first end face is provided with a first groove and a second groove, and an outer circumference of the braking stator is provided with a limit step, the limit step forming a limit space facing the second end face on the outer circumference of the braking stator; an armature, arranged adjacent to the first end face; a main coil, arranged in the first groove; an elastic element, arranged in the second groove; N friction discs, being annular in structure, sleeved on the outer circumference of the braking stator and located in the limit space; N movable plates, being annular in structure, sleeved on the outer circumference of the braking stator and located in the limit space, wherein the N movable plates and the N friction discs are arranged alternately, an Nth movable plate is arranged adjacent to an Nth friction disc, the Nth friction disc abuts against the limit step, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and an assembly element, fixedly connected with the armature and a first movable plate of the N movable plates, the first movable plate being farthest from the limit step among the N movable plates; wherein, when the main coil is energized which generates a magnetic field, the armature is caused to move toward the braking stator against an elastic force of the elastic element, and the armature drives the first movable plate to move away from the N friction discs, to release the N friction discs; and outer circumferential dimensions of the N friction discs are larger than outer circumferential dimensions of the N movable plates, and outer circumferences of the N friction discs are each provided with a matching part configured to be adapted to a braking part of a target device.
The novel brake according to claim 1, wherein the matching part comprises one radially extending matching protrusion; or the matching part comprises a plurality of radially extending matching protrusions, with a matching groove formed between every two adjacent matching protrusions; or the matching part is a plurality of matching grooves or a plurality of matching holes; and when N is greater than 1, the N matching parts have shapes different from one another, have same shapes, or have shapes some of which are not same.
The novel brake according to claim 1, wherein an inner circumference of at least one of the N movable plates is provided with a positioning protrusion; the outer circumference of the braking stator is provided with a positioning groove adapted to the positioning protrusion; and the assembly element is slidably inserted through the braking stator.
The novel brake according to claim 3, wherein N is greater than 1; the N movable plates are provided with positioning protrusions; the positioning protrusion of the first movable plate is arranged in a staggered manner in a circumferential direction of the braking stator relative to positioning protrusions of remaining movable plates of the N movable plates; and a preset distance is maintained between the assembly element and the positioning protrusions of the remaining movable plates.
The novel brake according to claim 4, wherein the positioning groove corresponding to the positioning protrusion of the first movable plate is defined as a first positioning groove, and positioning grooves corresponding to the positioning protrusions of the remaining movable plates are defined as second positioning grooves; the first positioning groove and the second positioning grooves extend from the second end face toward the first end face, and an axial depth of the first positioning groove is smaller than that of the second positioning grooves.
The novel brake according to claim 3, wherein N is greater than 1; the N movable plates are provided with positioning protrusions; the positioning protrusion of the first movable plate is aligned with positioning protrusions of remaining movable plates of the N movable plates in a circumferential direction of the braking stator; projections of the positioning protrusions of the remaining movable plates in the axial direction fall within a projection of the positioning protrusion of the first movable plate in the axial direction; and a preset distance is maintained between the assembly element and the positioning protrusions of the remaining movable plates.
The novel brake according to claim 3, wherein a surface of the positioning protrusion comprises a first arc surface, and a surface of the positioning groove comprises a second arc surface adapted to the first arc surface.
The novel brake according to claim 1, wherein the first end face is further provided with a third groove; the third groove is arranged on an inner side or an outer side of the first groove; and the novel brake further comprises a secondary coil arranged in the third groove.
The novel brake according to claim 1, further comprising a mounting element; the mounting element and the assembly element are independent of each other; and the mounting element is adapted to the braking stator, and a locking end of the mounting element selectively extends out from the first end face or the second end face.
The novel brake according to claim 1, further comprising a protective structure; the protective structure and the target device enclose a sealed space; the armature, the N friction discs and the N movable plates are located in the sealed space; and the protective structure at least partially covers the braking part of the target device.
The novel brake according to claim 1, further comprising a manual release assembly that is a rotating element; the rotating element is adapted to the braking stator and the armature to control a distance between the braking stator and the armature, to release the N friction discs.
The novel brake according to claim 1, further comprising a manual release assembly that comprises a release handle, a release connector and a release elastic element; wherein the release connector is slidably inserted through the release handle and locked in the braking stator or the target device; the release elastic element is sleeved on the release connector and located between the release handle and the braking stator; and the release handle is pressed against or moved away from the armature to control a distance between the braking stator and the armature.
The novel brake according to claim 1, further comprising a manual release assembly that comprises a release handle, a release connector, an acting block and a release elastic element; wherein the manual release assembly is located at an armature end; the armature is provided with a limit slot, and the release handle is provided with a connecting hole; the release connector is slidably inserted through the connecting hole and fixed in the braking stator; the release elastic element is sleeved on the release connector and located between the release handle and the braking stator; and the acting block is arranged on the release handle and slides out of or into the limit slot when the release handle rotates, so as to control a distance between the braking stator and the armature; or wherein the manual release assembly is located at a stator end; the braking stator is provided with a limit slot, and the release handle is provided with a connecting hole; the release connector is slidably inserted through the connecting hole and fixed in the armature or the first movable plate; the release elastic element is sleeved on the release connector and located between the release handle and a head of the release connector; and the acting block is arranged on the release handle and slides out of or into the limit slot when the release handle rotates, so as to control a distance between the braking stator and the armature.
The novel brake according to claim 1, further comprising a manual release assembly that comprises a release handle, a driving screw and a driven screw; when the release handle is moved toward or away from the braking stator, the driven screw is selectively adapted to the armature or the first movable plate, so as to control a distance between the braking stator and the armature.
The novel brake according to claim 1, further comprising a manual release assembly that is a wedge block; the wedge block is configured to act between the armature and the target device, and control a distance between the braking stator and the armature by pressing the armature.
A hub motor, comprising: a housing, being a hollow structure with an opening at one end; a main shaft, rotatably connected with the housing and extending out of the housing; a motor stator, wound around the main shaft and fixedly connected with the main shaft; an armature winding, wound around the motor stator and fixedly connected with the motor stator; a magnetic steel winding, wound around an inner wall of the housing, fixedly connected with the inner wall of the housing, and arranged at a radial interval from the armature winding; an end cover, covering the opening, wound around the main shaft, and rotatably connected with the main shaft; a braking part, wound around the main shaft and extending in an axial direction, selectively arranged on the inner wall or an outer wall of the housing or an inner wall or an outer wall of the end cover, and forming a braking cavity together with the housing or the end cover; and a novel brake, located on a same side as the braking part, comprising a braking stator, a main coil arranged on the braking stator, an elastic element arranged on the braking stator, an armature arranged adjacent to the braking stator and friction discs; wherein the friction discs are at least partially located in the braking cavity, an outer circumference of each friction disc is provided with a matching part, the matching part is adapted to the braking part to brake the housing, the magnetic steel winding and the end cover, and a radial dimension of the matching part is larger than an outer diameter of the armature; wherein the friction discs are sleeved on an outer circumference of the braking stator, and the outer circumference of the braking stator is a cylindrical surface parallel to the axial direction; a quantity of the friction discs is N, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; the novel brake further comprises one outer movable plate and N-1 middle movable plates, and each middle movable plate is located between two adjacent friction discs; the braking stator has a first end face and a second end face in the axial direction, the armature is arranged adjacent to the first end face, the outer circumference of the braking stator is provided with a limit step adjacent to the first end face, and the limit step forms a limit space facing the second end face on the outer circumference of the braking stator; and the outer movable plate, the N-1 middle movable plates and the friction discs are located in the limit space, the outer movable plate is arranged adjacent to the second end face, the outer movable plate is fixedly connected with the armature through an assembly element, and the friction discs and the N-1 middle movable plates are located between the outer movable plate and the limit step.
The hub motor according to claim 16, wherein the braking part is arranged on the inner wall of the housing or the inner wall of the end cover; the motor stator forms an accommodating cavity around the main shaft; and the braking part is at least partially located in the accommodating cavity, and the novel brake is at least partially located in the accommodating cavity.
The hub motor according to claim 17, wherein the motor stator comprises: a mounting part, fixed to the main shaft, the braking stator being sleeved on the mounting part; an extending part, connected with the mounting part, arranged on an outer circumference of the mounting part, and provided with a heat dissipation hole; and a supporting part, connected with the extending part and arranged on an outer circumference of the extending part; wherein an axial dimension of the mounting part is larger than an axial dimension of the extending part, an axial dimension of the supporting part is larger than an axial dimension of the extending part, and the accommodating cavity is formed by the mounting part, the extending part and the supporting part.
The hub motor according to claim 18, wherein the novel brake further comprises a mounting element; a locking end of the mounting element extends out from a side of the novel brake in the axial direction, and the locking end is locked with the extending part.
The hub motor according to claim 19, wherein the novel brake further comprises a supporting element sleeved on the mounting element; one end of the supporting element in the axial direction abuts against the extending part, and the other end abuts against the braking stator, so as to keep the novel brake and the motor stator spaced apart.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202311331256.6, filed on October 16, 2023 and Chinese Patent Application No. 202311331146.X, filed on October 16, 2023. The disclosures of the aforementioned applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. TECHNICAL FIELD The present application relates generally to the technical field of mechanical braking, and particularly relates to a novel brake and a hub motor. BACKGROUND The brake mainly relies on the coordinated operation of components including stator, coil, armature, friction disc, and elastic element to achieve braking. When the coil is energized, a magnetic field is generated around its outer circumference, and an attractive magnetic force is produced in the gap between the stator and the armature. In the structural composition of the brake, the stator, the armature and the friction disc are generally arranged in a stacked configuration. The stator, the armature and the friction disc are provided with axially central holes of preset dimensions. Typically, the axially central hole of the friction disc is matched with the braking shaft via a shaft sleeve. The size of the central hole of the brake is limited by the dimensions of the shaft sleeve and the braking shaft. When braking is not required, the friction disc rotates synchronously with the braking shaft; when braking is required, the friction disc restricts the rotation of the braking shaft. Therefore, the dimensions of the brake need to be designed based on the sizes of the braking shaft and the shaft sleeve. When traditional brakes are applied to equipment with large overall structural dimensions, for example, hub motor, two structural approaches are commonly adopted to achieve the braking coordination relationship between the friction disc and the rotor of the hub motor. One approach is to design the brake with an increased size, and fit the shaft sleeve and the braking shaft through the large-dimension central hole of the friction disc in sequence, thereby establishing the braking relationship between the friction disc and the rotor of the hub motor. However, this results in a larger overall volume and increased weight. The other approach is to retain the original dimensions of the brake and implement the braking relationship between the friction disc and the rotor of the hub motor by configuring corresponding transmission structures, which also leads to a larger overall volume and a more complex structural design. Consequently, the application scenarios of traditional brake are limited, and they tend to result in a larger overall volume. TECHNICAL PROBLEMS The purpose of the present application is to provide a novel brake and a hub motor, aiming to solve the technical problems of traditional brake, namely limited application scenarios and tendency to result in a large overall volume. TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS To achieve the aforesaid purpose, the technical solution adopted in the present application is as follows: In a first aspect, the present application provide a novel brake, including: a braking stator, having a first end face and a second end face in an axial direction, wherein the first end face is provided with a first groove and a second groove, and an outer circumference of the braking stator is provided with a limit step, the limit step forming a limit space facing the second end face on the outer circumference of the braking stator; an armature, arranged adjacent to the first end face; a main coil, arranged in the first groove; an elastic element, arranged in the second groove; N friction discs, being annular in structure, sleeved on the outer circumference of the braking stator and located in the limit space; N movable plates, being annular in structure, sleeved on the outer circumference of the braking stator and located in the limit space, wherein the N movable plates and the N friction discs are arranged alternately, an Nth movable plate is arranged adjacent to an Nth friction disc, the Nth friction disc abuts against the limit step, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 1; and an assembly element, fixedly connected with the armature and a first movable plate of the N movable plates, the first movable plate being farthest from the limit step among the N movable plates; wherein, when the main coil is energized which generates a magnetic field, the armature is caused to move toward the braking stator against an elastic force of the elastic element, and the armature drives the first movable plate to move away from the N friction discs, to release the N friction discs; and outer circumferential dimensions of the N friction discs are larger than outer circumferential dimensions of the N movable plates, and outer circumferences of the N friction discs are each provided with a matching part configured to be adapted to a braking part of a target device. In some possible implementation, the matching part